Helping Hand
by Pearlynn
Summary: Zelda is frustrated. Link just wants to help. Rated M for SMUT. Takes place pre-Calamity, after the Slumbering Power memory. PARTS 2 AND 3 FINISHED AND POSTED.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N** heeeeeeeeey surprise bitch. Thought you saw the last of me, eh?_

_I needed some fresh smut... and this type of shit is my guilty pleasure. I'm not the biggest fan of writing pre-Calamity Zelink, only because it seems overdone at this point but this bunny has wedged its head in mine for about a year, so I decided to give it a go._

_Forgive me Father for I have **sinned.**_

* * *

_The heir to a throne of nothing._

She huffed and rolled over again, her eyes pinned to the canvas roof of her tent. The light from the fire outside was flickering against the sides, casting a large shadow of her protector against the door, and all Zelda wanted to do was scream. She was _frustrated - _putting it lightly - and his presence _was not helping _in the slightest.

_It is woven into your destiny that you prove them wrong._

How? How can she _prove _naysayers wrong when all they focus on is the negative? How can she tap into the sacred power without any real instruction? Not when the Goddess is deaf to her devotion and says not a word to her when she spends hours in supplication at the foot of her statues, not when her own true desires are denied in the face of the looming threat that demands her absent sealing gifts. _How _is she going to get rid of this _frustration _when her appointed knight is right outside the door and likely able to hear _everything?_

_When will you stop treating this like a childish game?_

She huffed again and decided_ to hell with it _and _to hell with her father _and she just needed to _sleep._

Her hands touched the familiar planes of her body, squeezing her fleshy breasts and pinching the hardening peaks of her nipples through the thin fabric of her brassiere. She was skilled enough in keeping her lustrous sounds in check when she was _servicing _herself. She never knew when someone was walking by her door in the Castle or if her appointed knight was at a close guard - like he was tonight. Despite his great hearing, she knew how to keep herself almost completely silent.

This little routine was nothing of the sort - _a_ _routine - _but rather a necessary thing when the stresses and anxieties brought upon her by her damned _duty _as the Golden Princess kept her up at night. A little bit of touching in a place that Urbosa had mentioned when she gave Zelda the "birds and bees" talk around the time she started her monthlies, and she would feel a rush of bliss that helped ease her to sleep, her stresses long left behind while she was in the dream world. Unfortunately, it _had_ basically become a nightly routine in the past few months, especially after her affections for Link started making her feel _things _that she hadn't noticed before and make the urge to touch and pleasure herself more and more apparent.

Sometimes, she would imagine his hand in lieu of her own and it always helped her finish quicker and get her to sleep soundly.

So now, as her fingers delved between her folds and started caressing the already-slick skin, she melted into her bedroll and closed her eyes. When her fingers brush against the little pearl above her entrance, she couldn't stop the way her body jerked and the gasp that slipped between her lips.

So much for staying quiet.

There was a rustling outside the tent, causing her to still her ministrations, and quickly pull her hand out of her pants.

"Princess? Is everything alright?"

His gravelly voice caused her to clench, and the way he spoke made this situation even worse. She swallowed and warmth spread through her body. "Y-yes! Just... can't sleep."

There was a beat of silence - she could see his flickering shadow on the entrance of the tent, illuminated by the fire behind him, and his hand clearly reaching for the door to check on her and her heart was _pounding _in her ears at the fear of being caught - and then he sat back down and lowered his hand. "Are you sure?"

Zelda sighed and sat up, wiping her hands on her blankets in the process, then pulled her robe over her shoulders. Although her heart was still pounding, there was no use trying to continue where she left off when Link was so clearly concerned. She stepped out of the tent - happy to take in the fresh air outside of the stifling interior - and moved to sit next to her protector. He paused in his movements, seemingly whittling a statuette out of a palm-sized stick, and his eyebrow arched in a silent question.

She avoided his gaze and stared at the fire. "How do you do it?"

He looked down at the wood in his hand and then back to her. "Do what?"

"Go so long without sleep," she remarked flatly. She still avoided his gaze as she continued, "How do you go so long without sleeping and it not mess you up in the head?"

Link's shoulders relaxed a little and he seemingly set down his little trinket in his lap. "I could ask you the same thing, Princess. You haven't been sleeping well, lately."

She couldn't help but flush and tuck her hands under her armpits as she looked away from him. Though there was no harm in opening up to him, seeing it had helped ease her doubts and anxieties in the past, as well as his, she just needed to... fib a bit so he didn't catch on entirely to the real frustration at the moment. "I'm... frustrated. This sealing power is so elusive that I am stuck awake at nights wondering what I'm doing wrong. I can't relax knowing that I'm failing everyone."

That wasn't a lie, not at all. The easing of her frustration was usually done alone and helped her fall asleep well enough. But that was not something she could divulge to her knight. Not at all.

Link set down his carving next to his pack and turned his body to her entirely. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sincere worry on his face and the genuine look of _wanting _to help.

"Is there anything I can do to... ease this burden?"

Her heart did a strange lurch in her chest, causing her to flush even more at the image her mind generated at his suggestion. No, she could never - not without consequence. She was the Goddess Blood Princess of Hyrule, and she could not sully her image by being a harlot that slept with her knight protector. No matter how badly she wanted to, how badly she wanted him, she could not do it for her sake as well as Link's.

More so his than her own, honestly.

But the way he had spoken, rough and low, made that yearning in her loins flare to life. Her cheeks _burned _and her stomach clenched. She needed to get back into the tent and get rid of this persistent frustration and get some _sleep _so she would stop thinking about her knight so lewdly.

Awkwardly, she cleared her throat as she smoothed her hair down - a motion that caught Link's gaze and for a quick second she knew she was _caught _based on the way his eyes look so dark in the firelight and _for Hylia's sake he's **looking **__at me! - _and she nervously chuckled, "I appreciate your concern, truly. Without you here, I'm sure I would have fallen to despair already... But this is something I must conquer on my own."

_Without any of your... help._

She did not wait for him to reply, instead she stood and thanked him curtly for his help, and she retreated back into the tent. Zelda ignored the way it seemed his eyes were burning holes into her back as she practically ran away, nor the way she could hear him exhale when the door was fastened shut behind her. Her hands were shaking when they removed her robe, and by the time she crawled back into her sleeping bag they were trembling when they caressed her heaving breasts, heavy with want.

How on earth did one _look _send her into such a frenzy? Did he realize what sort of mess he made her? His _voice - oh, Hylia, his voice - _could make any girl weak in the knees if they were blessed enough to hear it. Why did _she _have to be the one blessed in only this way, though? It wasn't enough that his appearance was otherworldly - blessed by Hylia by any rights - but for him to be in her presence _constantly _was doing a number on her already frayed nerves.

The wetness between her legs had grown in the few short minutes she was outside with him, her center hot and aching for a touch, but she immediately imagined it was _his _fingers swirling around her pearl in expert fashion.

He was so good at everything else, the art of pleasuring a woman would probably be a walk in the park for him.

A small whimper made its way out of her lips and it was already too late. Her heart stopped when she saw his shadow shoot up and approach the tent. She was way too deep and her mind was a muddled mess, so she fumbled in getting her hand out from between her legs and safely under her pillow where the smell of her sex wouldn't fill the air of the tent while he was inside. The door of the tent was opened when her hand finally got out of her pants, but the wide look in his blue, blue eyes told her that he saw _everything. _

They both stilled, the silence of the night filling the stifling air between them. Her face was red - it _had _to be - and her chest was heaving. She could only pray that her nipples were not straining through the fabric of her brassiere, which was unlikely considering how she could feel the fabric as it dragged against her skin with every heavy breath.

"Princess... -"

Embarrassment floods her in a shameful wave, so in her mortification she grabbed her pillow and pulled it over her head. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

The silence stretches on again, and she is suddenly irate at his lack of response. All of her humiliation is morphed into rage and she takes her pillow and chucks it at him. He catches it with wide eyes, and its at that moment she realizes that the very hand that was between her legs had been the one that grabbed the pillow, wiping her essence on the fabric in the process.

"Get out!" she shrieked before pulling her blanket over her head.

After a moment, Link cleared his throat and murmured, "If... this will help you relax I will leave you to it."

Her mortification returned and she shot up into a seated position, her blanket covering her immodesty, and she stammered out with a beet red face, "Not if you know I'm doing it, it won't!"

Her heart is lodged in her throat, her arousal not forgotten but ebbing in the background as she takes in the sight of Link still lingering in the doorway, her sex-covered pillow clutched to his chest, and his eyes blown wide with some unreadable emotion that just made the ache in her center _throb _again.

"I don't... I - I just..."

She met his eyes and she knew it seemed like she was pleading with him, either for him to run far away or - Hylia-forbid - to _help_, because she is just _aching _to finish but also can't get the thought of him touching her out of her head. She didn't know what she wanted - other than _him, _of course - but her mind was at war at how frankly inappropriate this all was, and for someone like Link who took his duty so damned seriously made her wonder if asking him to help would be an abuse of her power, especially knowing how much she wanted him.

Link was still frozen in his spot, watching her, and then after what felt like a hundred years he finally stepped into the tent. As if answering her silent pleas, Link walked around her and he sat down behind her on her sleeping mat. Her anxiety was getting the best of her, making her as jittery as a doe, so Zelda tried to scramble away and question _what exactly he thought he was doing, _but she was stopped when he held her steady by her shoulders. His hands are trembling ever-so-slightly, and his touch is not harsh, instead it was very gentle when he eased her back against his chest. His chin propped itself on her shoulders and she could feel the tip of his ear brushing against hers.

"Tell me if you want me to stop."

Her desperation for finishing caused her to press her cheek against his and she shudders out a breath when his hands tentatively go down her arms and move to rub her legs. His touch is warm, causing her to shiver and arch herself into him. She shakes her head when he stills - silently begging him to continue - and her hands latch onto his knees.

One of his hands ghosted up her side, under her thin shirt and brassiere to cup her breast in his palm. Her gasp was sharp - _that _was a new sensation - and his responding grunt had her center ache with want for him. Her whole body was on edge - every nerve was on fire and every place his fingers had touched blazed even hotter. Link's unoccupied hand slipped between her waistband and her skin, dragging out more of the fire, and as soon as his fingers made contact with her wetness, her whole body pulled tight like a harp string.

Her keen was harmonized with his soft gasp, which had been a sound she had _yearned _to hear in her darkest desires. His calloused fingertips dragged through her lips, pulling the folds apart and opening her to his touch. She pressed her chest into his other hand and her rear to his hips, and in the process felt the other way the Goddess had _blessed _this man.

A choked sound came out of him and his lips pressed against her neck. A sensation crawled up into her scalp and down her back when he did, causing her to arch again into his touch. His fingers swirled around her pearl, putting just the right amount of pressure that she couldn't achieve on her own in the wilderness like this. Every pass sent shocks down her legs and up her spine, meeting the shocks that he left in the wake of his lips against her neck and shoulder.

Her hands grappled with his arms, clutching onto him as the pressure of her oncoming orgasm became too much and made her head spin. He pinched her nipple, rolling it between his fingers like he was pinching her pearl and suddenly stars were bursting behind her eyes as the crest of her climax hit her like a Lynel's crusher.

Link eased his touches as she came down from her high. His hand slipped out of her pants and rested on her thigh, while the other let go of her breast and laid respectfully on her waist over her shirt. For a while, she let her heart and breaths slow, all while fully aware of the way his still beat rapidly against her back and rear.

All she wanted to do was touch it now, to explore and return the favor.

He must have actually read her thoughts because he subtly wiped his hand on her blanket and scooted away from her - either to save whatever of her propriety was left or to stop himself from doing anything stupid. Either way, she turned over and knelt in front of him, the perfect picture of supplication and _want. _

She hoped it was enough to not make him run away, especially when her own warring thoughts were making it hard for her to make the right decision lately.

Apparently it wasn't, because Link broke their eye contact and made to stand. She started to panic, immediately knowing she had messed up and that she was going to push him away forever and she just may have ruined _everything _and -

She snatched her hand out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from standing fully. Looking up at him through her lashes, Zelda whispered, "Please."

There's desperation she didn't realize she had in her voice, pleading for a distraction from her failure with carnal desires as he had helped her to do just moments before. That unreadable look in his eyes returned, and Link slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of her. He's still silent and still as the dead, but her dread is silenced when his fingers caress her cheek.

As her heart does something that would otherwise kill a person, there's clear conflict in his eyes, but otherwise he is expressionless. His thumb lingers at the corner of her mouth and his brow furrowed, like it does when he's surveying a camp of monsters or listening to her father scold her.

"It would be unwise, Princess."

Suddenly, anger heat her face and she jerks herself away from his touch. Instantly she was bereft of his warmth and the security of his touch. "But you just -!"

"It was a lapse in judgement to follow an order from my charge despite being unethical," he counters swiftly, evenly, and she reels back at the sharpness in his voice - as if he is trying to convince himself rather than her. Her stomach curdles and he stands up, facing away from her as he continues quietly, "I have denied your orders in the past and it resulted in me have to rescue you from would-be assassins. I ... acted selfishly, and betrayed my post, therefore I need to once again disobey my charge."

Without another word, he strides past her and exits the tent, leaving Zelda alone.

She's trembling at this point in time - from the orgasm or her anger, she didn't know. Regardless, a princess does not _chase _after a man, especially if said man denied her sexual affections. Her heart was in her throat and not for the first time since she met Link did she feel the need to scream into her pillow and pummel him ineffectively with her fists.

Oh, she was in for a world of trouble in the morning.

* * *

_tbc_

* * *

_**A/N **__not sure if I want to continue this... let me know in a review if you'd like a part two!_

**_A/N #2_** _OK OK OK you guys want Part 2! I'll have it finished soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N **Oh hello. I hear that there's some dehydration issues going around, seeing how THIRSTY everyone is._

_Since y'all basically begged I had to put some plot into this, but you have to suffer with some angst in order to get it. Sorry that you will have to wait until the end for the smut._

_And also I am obliged to do a third part because it just seems SO MUCH BETTER with it. Enjoy!_

* * *

Silence was what she was greeted by when she woke the next morning. In the early hours of dawn, the dew stuck to the sides of her tent and to her feet when she stepped outside. Her protector was nowhere to be found, but she knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave her alone, not again.

Zelda sighed and pulled her traveling cloak a little tighter around her shoulders. Link was typically ready to go by the time she woke when they were out traveling - their bags and horses already packed and waiting for her to wake so the tent could be taken down and packed up, as well, and they were on the road less than an hour after she's up. Breakfast was always ready - soup or eggs, depending on what he had available - and he would get her a cup of tea to wake her up before they left.

At least, it used to be always.

Now, Link was not here, and she was shivering and a knot of nerves, her shame from the events of the night before causing her undo amounts of stress and fear.

Did he hate her now? Of course he did, there's no reason for him not to. After all, she basically forced him to touch her and pleasure her and then _begged _like some common whore to continue. Had she been in a better state of mind last night, she would have smacked herself for even letting him into her tent in the first place.

She groaned and sat down in front of the dying fire, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh, I'm an idiot," she murmured to herself.

The sound of footsteps in the soft grass caught her attention and she spun around to see Link approaching her from the entrance of the quarry. It had been his idea to camp in the once-flourishing mining area outside of the Spring of Power, away from the Spring itself to not cause her anymore anxiety over her lack of awakening powers.

It also had the advantage of the land to protect them from any unwanted guests.

When Link reached the perimeter of the camp, his eyes met hers and he froze. His gaze was unreadable - _again - _and his jaw was tight with strain.

The silence continued on and with every second they spent just staring at each other the knot in Zelda's stomach grew and grew until she was tempted to vomit only to break the tension and escape.

Link was the first one to look away, ducking his chin to his chest and going towards their bags. They were packed up enough, save for a few things, and he pulled out a paper-wrapped parcel. Still looking elsewhere, Link offered it to her.

"Thank you," she croaked as she reached for it. As soon as her fingers where touching it, Link quickly - too quickly, in her opinion - withdrew his hand and went to pack up the tent. It took him less than half of the time to get it done, with twice the efficiency, and Zelda wondered how angry he had to be at her.

Furious, probably. He was too devoted to his position as her appointed knight to sell her out to her father, but she betrayed his trust and abused her position with her actions. She wouldn't put it past him to never want to speak to her again and completely go back to how it had been before the incident in the desert.

Only this time he would _actually _hate her instead of it being some wild imagining in her head.

The rice ball he had given her tasted like sand, and her appetite was nonexistent.

"Eat up, Princess," he ordered softly from behind her. She jumped and whirled around to look at him, but he was packing up the rest of their things into his packs. He didn't look up when he continued, "We are riding for the Castle today, so you will need your strength for the journey."

"The ride to the Castle typically takes two days from here," Zelda replied when her voice finally found her. "You intend to ride through the night?"

Link stood and whistled sharply. Both of their horses came bounding through the entrance of the quarry not a minute later, likely grazing in the fields to the south, and when they arrived he swung his pack onto the withers of his stallion.

His lack of response told her that yes, that is his intention, and she followed his lead as he climbed into his saddle and clucked as he snapped his reins. And just as quickly as he fled the tent the night before, they were galloping out of the quarry and back towards Hyrule Castle.

* * *

The entire ride had been silent, save for Link telling her to move off the road and ride through the fields or him asking her if she wanted some more food or if she needed a break. Otherwise, the easy conversation they had before was completely gone, and the weight that settled in her stomach was growing more and more with each and every minute that passed.

They reached the Orsedd Bridge a little after dusk, and Link's stallion start huffing and snorting once they slowed down. Link patted his neck, hummed and murmured something she couldn't decipher, and suddenly the horse calmed down.

"How did you do that?" she found herself asking without a thought. Her horse always tossed his head and snorted at her or even veered off the path when he had the chance, and seeing Link stop his horse from doing it with such ease made her stomach twist with some unnameable emotion.

Link turned to her and his expression was open for the first time since the night before when they were both sitting in front of the fire. It made her heart leap with the hope that he had gotten over what had transpired and was willing to open up to her again, but then his eyes widened a little and she swore it was a trick of the dimming sunlight, but his cheeks seemed to get a little dark before he turned away and looked down at his horse.

"Horses are very intuitive animals," Link said with his typical raspy drawl. "If you're upset or anxious, they can tell. Either by how you're steering them or just by the tension in your body. Almost always they think its their fault and will start to act up in their own anxiety. You have to be sure to take the time to soothe your mount. It's the only way they can know how you truly feel."

It was the most he had said to her all day, and it was enough to make her heart do that stupid thing again. This man had no idea what he did to her, did he?

And she ruined it.

Although his eyes were averted, Zelda followed his advice and patted her horse's neck. She was rewarded with a soft whinny, which led into what could only be described as a proud prance.

Zelda couldn't help but giggle and the sound of Link's chuckle came from beside her. She was flushed with pride and turned to thank him, but saw his face was now carefully neutral and he was looking away towards the walls of Castle Town. Her smile fell and she quieted until they reached the Castle stables, where their horses were taken in for the night.

Just as they always had done, Link followed her into the Castle and to her room, where he bowed and spun on his heels before she was even in the threshold of the door. He didn't even say good-bye.

Zelda's heart fell and her door was shut quietly behind her. With a heavy heart, she made her way to wash the sweat, grime, and shame off of her body.

* * *

With the ban on her divulging in Ancient Sheikah technology, there wasn't much for Zelda do everyday. She still prayed first thing in the morning and late at night before bed, but otherwise her time was occupied with almost nothing. There was no reason for her to go out of the Castle to visit the other Champions, or even the Springs, so she didn't see much of Link. She was safe in the Castle and there was no need for her knight protector to be by her side constantly.

That did not soothe the hurt of not seeing him.

Link didn't have a reason to stay by her side before, but he did it anyway. Especially after they started getting along. He'd accompany her to the library if she needed help fetching books, or he would go with her down to the Royal Laboratory to check up on the Ancient tech research. He'd even sit in her study for hours listening to her prattle on about the Ancient Sheikah or plants she was researching, or even factoids about legends passed down throughout history.

Now, as she sat in the library leafing through a book about the Three Golden Goddesses and the Triforce, her mind kept wandering to Link and what he was doing.

He was clearly still mad at her, since he hadn't shown his face to her since he rushed away the night they returned from the Spring of Power. She had requested his audience a few days later, wanting to go visit the Sacred Grounds just for some peace of mind, but he had been tied up with something the King had asked him to do, so she was stuck with a few Royal Guards that each were not a third of the warrior Link was.

Her heart was still aching.

And then her eyes wandered to the enclosed shelf on the second floor. She knew what books were in there - anatomy and physiology, mostly, but also tomes on reproduction, puberty, and sex. Ever since that night, her body had _ached _for more than her own hands. Yes, she was still capable of taking care of herself but there was something missing. Something she needed to research.

"Is there anything else I can get you, Your Grace?"

Zelda blinked and looked up at the weathered woman standing in front of her, bespeckled and smiling with a sincere softness that Zelda saw was lacking in most people these days. The librarian, Hoda, had always been fond of her, and would find any book she requested without objection.

Maybe...

"Hoda..." Zelda closed her book and folded her hands above it. "My seventeenth birthday is coming up... And there are a few things I... would like to research before then, since typically in the seventeenth year that the Princess begins courting for a future husband... And there are... _things_ that were not divulged to me when I began... _maturing._ Do you have any recommendations on some reading I could do to fill in those... gaps, so to say?"

Hoda was not a dense woman, and the knowing look that crossed her face in that moment was mortifying. "Of course, Princess Zelda."

"And can we maintain a level of discretion regarding these tomes?" Zelda pressed on. Hoda simply bowed and shuffled away to the shelf on the second story, pulling out two books that she knew would be perfect for Zelda's endeavor, and then she wrapped them in a little cloth and sent Zelda way for the night.

For the princess had some research to do.

* * *

The next morning - two weeks before her seventeenth birthday - Zelda was surprised to almost run right into Link in the hallway outside of the magistrate's office. His hands flew up to grab her arms to stop her from smashing right into him. The look of shock on his face was not lost on her, nor was the way her heart leapt into her throat and the places where his hands burned like they had done that fateful night.

She swallowed against the dryness in her throat when he let her go - it seemed like he _hesitated _\- and sketched a shallow, yet respectful bow.

"Forgive me, Princess," he murmured in his typical rasp. "I should have been more careful."

"There's no need, Sir Link," Zelda conceded as he straightened up. His eyes were still lowered, but there was warmth in his expression. She couldn't help but smile as she added, "It's been quite some time since I've seen you. Would you care to join me in the gardens outside my rooms for lunch? I would like to catch up."

Link finally met her eyes and there was a clear uncertainty there... One that made her stomach twist and her own face to fall in despair.

"Or if you're too busy-"

"No, no," he cut in a little hurriedly. The pleasant look returned and he seemed to relax a tad bit, and her as well. "I apologize, Princess. I have been held up lately."

"I know," she remarked almost primly. She didn't miss the flash of hurt across his face when she added, "Though it seems you've been avoiding me."

Something else flashed in his eyes and his lips pulled down into an admittedly cute frown. "I... I don't know what you're -"

"It's alright, Link, I understand," she cut in swiftly and she pushed past him. "But the invitation still stands for lunch. We can discuss whether or not I am correct in that regard there in a half hour."

Without waiting for his reply, she strode down the hall, her hands clutched together and wringing together so tightly that her fingers started to ache. She hadn't expected to see him, nor that she would have been composed enough to actually call him out on his behavior as of late.

Not that she blamed him. She hadn't done anything to change his mind about her repulsive behavior that night, nor had she reached out to him to apologize for it. So, her impulsive decision to invite him to a completely impromptu lunch in the private courtyard by her room would help salvage whatever part of their friendship still remained.

If there was any.

Her doubts regarding the whole thing had eaten her up every day since they returned, enough that her typical routine that helped ease those stresses had made her feel nothing but guilt.

And yearn for Link's fingers again.

Zelda swallowed and had to cover her mouth to fake a cough as she passed some courtiers, mainly to hide the way her face burned with those impure thoughts again. Luckily they were bowing and scurrying away - avoiding the failure Princess, it seemed - and couldn't see her aroused expression.

She needed to calm down.

When she passed a servant, she requested a light lunch for two to be prepared and brought to the gardens outside her room. Hidden by the gazebo and the plants, it was unlikely anyone would intrude on their conversations, which was a blessing. Zelda wished they would have the seclusion of the wilds as they had done that night, but that wouldn't be happening until they rode to Mount Lanayru in two weeks for her to pray at the Spring of Wisdom.

Zelda was surprised to see Link already waiting for her, sitting on the banister of the gazebo and looking at the vines that crawled up the beam. She cleared her throat and his head snapped to her direction. The wide-eyed expression was just like that night, bright and unreadable but primal in a way that made her heart do that insane flip again.

She smiled at him and approached, cautious and wary yet hopeful that he wouldn't completely run away.

"I'm sorry for the short notice," she started as evenly as she could. "I just haven't been able to catch you."

He regarded her for a moment and replied just as evenly, "You haven't tried."

And he was right. She had been hiding in shame, sticking with her devotions and minor studies into the Golden Goddesses. While she wasn't stuck in prayer or her other princess duties, she had been researching sex and the body and trying to figure out a way for her to be able to indulge in her desires without sullying her image as the future Queen of Hyrule.

She had been wrong in having Link help her that night, that she knew. It was _perfectly natural _to indulge in the desires of body, but not when she had to keep in consideration her station and his duty to her. The entire circumstances of the event had been inappropriate and could cost them both everything, no matter how much she wanted it.

She hung her head slightly - enough to not be shameful for a woman in her position - and she nodded. "You're right. I've been... afraid."

When Zelda met Link's eyes again she saw the confusion there, so she sighed and added, "After... what happened, and how you acted, I thought you were mad and hated me. So I didn't want to poke the sleeping bear, so to speak."

Link's face had more emotions than she had _ever _seen on him, enough that she could spend years deciphering them and their myriad of connections to one another as they morphed, but all she could see was the confusion, then the disbelief, the anger, the confusion again, and then when he opened his mouth, two servants entered the gazebo with a picnic blanket and a tray of food for them.

He visibly swallowed and she took a step back away from him as the servants bowed, then one laid down a blanket while the other set the tray down on top. They both bowed again and left the two Hylians alone.

Zelda realized Link had removed the Master Sword and placed it against the railing of the gazebo, so when he sat down there was nothing in his way. She sat as gracefully as she could across from him and snagged one of the sandwiches that laid on the tray.

They ate in silence for a while, enjoying their food tensely until Zelda's twisting stomach prohibited her from eating any more. She set her sandwich down on a napkin and folded her hands in her lap.

"Link."

He looked up from the sandwich he had been holding - barely eaten, which was concerning when she considered his typical habits.

"I'm sorry."

Realization made his eyes glow and he set down his sandwich to his side. Link looked conflicted, at war with himself, and he tore his gaze from her and said, "You have no reason to apologize."

"But I do," she insisted, causing him to bring his eyes back to her and scowl. He opened his mouth to retort when she held up her hand to silence him. "Please, let me finish. I was... vulnerable in that moment in time... And I do not wish to speak of this again, for I am still somewhat ashamed of my actions towards you. I should have asked you to leave, instead I invited you in. I am the Princess of Hyrule, and there is an expectation for me to retain some of my maidenly qualities until I wed, which may be soon - "

She did _not _miss the dark look that crossed his face in that moment.

" - and that means I must refrain from such... _deviant_ frivolities, so to say, for the time being. And for involving you at that point in time, I may have risked your station and rank, and possibly even your appointment as my personal knight, regardless of your possession of the Master Sword. I was reckless and thoughtless, and for that I am sorry."

Link sighed and he scratched the back of his neck, looking away from her for a split second before saying, "You don't need to apologize, Princess. If anyone should ask for forgiveness, it should be me. I went against my better judgement and relied on personal desires instead of doing my job. I took advantage of you in your vulnerable state, and in all honesty I have every reason to be upset, but not with you. I am upset with myself for letting myself ignore my duty for my wants, for once."

Zelda lowered her eyes and tried to fight that sudden thrill that rushed through her. She looked to her clasped hands, the ones that had held onto him for dear life as he helped her seek out completion, the ones that wished to have been able to touch him in the same way. Her eyes then went to _his_ hands, clutched tightly against his knees. His gloves prevented her from seeing his knuckles, but she was sure they were stock white at the amount of strain she could see in his fingers.

She sighed and lifted her gaze to him again. _Courage, _she reminded herself. _You just need courage. It will fix everything._

"If it matters," she started, waiting until he met her eyes again before continuing, "I do not _regret_ it, not entirely at least..."

That seemed to stun him - more so than any enemy, jealous courtier, or shout she had once sent his way - and he blinked a few times, almost an entire minute passing before he replied, "You don't?"

She shook her head. "No... I don't think I do. I just regret it happened in such... circumstances..."

Link's face darkened again and something that could only be described as a cloud of conflict grew over his head. He lowered his eyes again and stated in a tone that sounded almost sad, "And it can never happen again."

Her heart fell and Zelda looked away, fighting her tears, and she did her best to swallow against the thickness that had made its way into her throat. "No... It cannot."

Without another word, Zelda stood - Link following suit out of propriety - and she bid him a curt farewell before rushing out of the gazebo. He called out to her - not that it mattered. She was running away like a child and he knew better than to chase after her - and before she was completely out of earshot she heard him curse loudly in the language of the Gerudo.

* * *

Two more weeks passed without much fanfare. Zelda would run into Link occasionally in the halls or during dining hours when she didn't feel like cooping herself up in her room. He was kind - as he always was - but the distance between them only grew since they were at the Spring of Power.

And Zelda vowed to amend that.

She found him on the morning before her birthday, practicing drills by himself in the Guards' Chambers. He paused when she entered, then gave her a low bow. When he straightened up, he wiped his brow with his forearm and granted her a small smile.

A courteous one.

She forced herself to smile despite the rolling in her stomach and said, "Would you care to join me for a ride today?"

Link simply nodded, though something visibly lightened about him - dare she say it was a hopeful look - and he sheathed the Master Sword. "I'll meet you at the stables in twenty minutes?"

Hope bloomed in her chest and she nodded before turning on her heel and retreating before he could change his mind. Over her shoulder, she called out, "I'll have the kitchen pack us a lunch. We might be gone a while."

His reply was a thumbs up before he ducked into the bathing room to freshen up. Her smile did not leave her face until she reached the kitchens to wrangle up some food for the day. A servant vowed to bring her a pack with food at the stables, and she chose not to have another let her father know she was leaving for the whole day. Ever since she returned from the Spring of Power without any luck, he had not graced her with his presence - purposeful slight that was clear as day. Any communication was through notes or servants, and the last told her she was to make her way to Mount Lanaryu on her actual birthday instead of the day after, per the original plan.

So she decided not to grace him with the knowledge of her getting a reprieve before then.

As he promised, Link met her in the stables twenty minutes later, hair a little damp but still swept into his typical ponytail, and both of their horses had already been taken out for them. He smiled at her courteously, as he had done every time they saw each other since the incident, but this time there was some sort of twinkle in his eyes that she hadn't seen since that very night.

Perhaps, just as King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule had snuffed out the light of his daughter when he forbade her to continue her research, he had snuffed out the Champion's light as well by curtailing how often she - and by extension he - was allowed to leave. They galloped out of the stables and Link followed her lead south towards the Great Plateau, their smiles broad on already sore cheeks. Typically, special holy celebrations were held up on the Plateau at the Temple of Time, but the special occasion tomorrow would not be celebrated until she gained her powers.

As she was told by her father in the letter she received that morning.

Her smile started to fall and sigh left her lips, loud enough to be heard over the galloping of their horses and she noticed Link cast a concerned look to her. They skirted the Plateau, going east towards the Gatepost Town, then continuing on towards the Dueling Peaks. They ate lunch in the felled giant tree that led up to Deya Village - where Link told her his father's family had been from before moving to Castle Town when he was a child. She was thrilled he was speaking to her so openly again, so freely, and vowed to hear more of his story when they had another free moment.

But now was not that time.

They packed up their horses again and started heading back west, riding past the Great Plateau once more and then veering a little north. They crossed the border of Tabantha and Central Hyrule when she slowed her horse to a trot, Link following suit. The sun was starting to dip in the horizon when they crossed over the Regencia River, and her horse was starting to feel her overwhelming anxiety over the next day, her powers, and Link, and he snorted before tossing his head in a challenge.

After she patted his neck and thanked Link for his advice, they stopped at the Sanidin Park, overlooking the greater parts of Hyrule.

When she told him of tomorrow's importance, realization dawned on his face and an understanding smile graced his lips.

How on earth did she deserve such a wonderful partner? One who understood and accepted her struggles, even yearned to ease them for her?

Link helped her into her saddle, his hand lingering just a little, before he stepped away and walked over to his horse. There wasn't _as _much distance as there had been before, but something was still... off about her appointed knight. It was when they returned to the Castle stables when the sun had set that he turned to her and took her hand with his.

She froze and looked down at it with eyes so wide they started to burn - _shocked_, mostly but also confused. He had been so thorough in keeping the distance between them. What changed? What was the meaning of this? Maybe she was reading _way _too much into it, but at the same time she hadn't said anything and he was _waiting _and -

"Y-yes?"

"Would you rather leave tonight?" he suggested in that low and rough voice of his. She could feel her goosebumps rise as he kept speaking, "Ride for a few hours, camp somewhere safe, and then continue on in the morning? That will give us a head start and less of an audience when we leave."

Genius, this man. They had time to get their things gathered and still get on the road before it was too late and unsafe for her. An hour now would save them several the next day, and they could have the peace and solitude only the wild could provide. Help her settle her head, prepare for the next journey up Mount Lanayru.

Possibly continue the conversation from before and settle this once and for all.

Dumbly, she nodded and Link went over to one of the servants lingering nearby. He murmured something low to the man, handed him a silver rupee, and then led her back inside. When they arrived at her room, there were already two of her handmaidens packing a small bag for her. Just her prayer outfit, travel sleeping clothes, and some basic hygiene products to help. She smiled with gratitude as they closed up her room for her absence - boarding the windows, locking the doors to her study and back into her room, and dousing the fire they had stirred for her return from the day's ride.

Once she was handed her things, she walked with Link back to the stables, where one of the other Royal Guards was waiting with a pack for Link. Link thanked the man and then loaded up their horses with their travel necessities. Before the dinner bell rung in Castle Town, Link and Zelda were galloping southwest, towards Mount Lanayru.

* * *

Around the eleventh hour, Link instructed her to stop. They were near the Lanayru Wetlands, about a half day's ride to Kakariko at this point, but they had already been riding for a few hours, and neither had had dinner. So they set up camp in the woods near the Rebonae Bridge, and planned to set out in the morning to meet the Champions in Kakariko before going to Mount Lanayru.

Until then, Link started a fire and whipped up a quick meal of skewered fish and rice, to which she ate heartily.

He was watching her the entire time, eyes attentive and bright across the flames. Her heart was in her throat the entire time, feeling the burn of his stare even when she looked away. It wasn't until they were both finished, the scraps from their dinner already ashes on top of the fire, that she folded her hands in her lap and made to bid him goodnight.

"Wait."

She paused halfway through standing up, her heart pounding in her ears, and he made his way over to her. She straightened up when he was at her side, her hands starting to sweat and her head swim, and he gave her a soft smile.

"Happy birthday, Zelda."

He took her hand - without looking away from her eyes - and laid something there. The weight was heavy, like a bottle, and she hesitated before looking down at the gift. It was a bottle, full of something red and shimmering. She met his gaze again, bemused, and he shrugged.

"I didn't have time to grab your _actual _present from my chambers, so this will have to tide you over until we get back to the Castle."

There was something unspoken in his eyes - screaming to her _once your powers awaken and we prove your father wrong - _and she found herself already smiling. "Well, what is this then?"

"Spicy elixir," Link supplied. "My best batch. Should keep you toasty warm long after we've walked up and down the mountain."

_How thoughtful, _she mused to herself. "And what of my real gift?"

A mischievous smile spread on his lips and he directed her back to her tent. The implications made her blush all the way from her scalp to her toes, mind reeling and thinking of the last time _this _tent had been pitched, and her throat was suddenly thick with want - _Zelda, focus!_

"You'll see," he murmured as he led her to the door of the tent. "For now, you need sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."

"And we already got a head start," Zelda countered with a glint in her eyes, causing Link to arch his brow at her. "Can't we sit up and talk for a just a while longer?"

He stared at her, long enough to make her face feel hot under his scrutiny, and his shoulders dropped. "I was hoping you would just rather go to _sleep_."

"What, so you could listen in on me again?" she shot back before she could stop herself.

The way his eyes widened reflected the way her heart stopped in her chest. That... was _not_ what she wanted to say. It had just come out! The teasing had been light - as their conversations had been before their visit to the Spring of Power - and the banter just took her _there _since her mind had already breached that territory and - _oh, by the Goddesses he's looking at me like that again -_

"As I recall," he murmured lowly, so low that she almost struggled to hear, "you weren't particularly quiet."

Her face felt even hotter and her stomach quivered - from nausea, want, _fuck she didn't know - _

"I had no reason to be," she let out. His eyes darted to her lips as she spoke - feral in the way he was framed in the firelight behind him - and her heart tumbled at the shrinking distance between them. She was caged between him and the tent now, one step back would cause her to fall inside, one step forward would make her bump into him.

Link seemed to mull something over before taking a step back away, regret and something else in his eyes as he looked away. "Good night, Princess."

That distance grew exponentially again - _no, no, nonononono - _

Zelda grabbed the front of his tunic, stopping his retreat, and pulled him with her into to tent. They tumbled down together, in almost a heap, and in Link's surprise Zelda was able to pin him down underneath her, legs straddling his hips, and becoming _very _aware of how that short conversation affected him - _he's been thinking about it, too_. His hands flew to her waist, gripping tight, and her eyes met his in the darkness.

They were both already breathless - but neither of them moved. Zelda stared him down - in shock, really, at her own actions and Link's _inaction, _considering how in tune he was with everything around him and how quick he was to react to any and every single thing that is thrown his way. She was out of breath merely at the thought of catching him off-guard.

Link's fingers tightened on her hips and, without saying a word, she moved. It was something she had seen in one of the books Hoda had pulled out for her - a move that the Gerudo favored in their... well...

Her hips rolled, like when she kept herself upright on her horse, but instead Link was the mount. She could feel his desire right between her legs, pressed up against the part of her he had stroked and rubbed until she was moaning out into the night. She could feel it, a heavy and solid thing, and she reveled in the way it almost _moved _when she rubbed herself against it.

Link's eyes hadn't left her the entire time, but his mouth did drop open slightly and his breath starting coming in short pants. She followed what she had read in the book - circle the hips, grind down, press your chest to his - and soon he was completely letting go.

There were no verbal wishes to stop, nor did he push her off, so she let her body take the lead and continue to grind. When she swiveled her hips in a particular way, Link sucked in a breath and pressed his forehead to her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her _tight _to his chest, his breathing now ragged and soft noises coming out of his throat.

She, too, felt the pleasures of this movement. Every time the head of his erection hit her in her pearl, a shock of nothing but divine pleasure shot up her spine. She sped up her movements, eager to draw out more sounds from him and more pleasure from his body, and in the process he started biting and kissing her neck without abandon. And just like the night at the Spring of Power, Link's hand snaked up her shirt and he was cupping her swollen breasts in his hand.

His fingers were a little cold but she didn't mind - no, she was too focused on how his hips started meeting her every move, thrusting up when she swiveled, and her mind was going haywire with _this is wrong, _and _please don't stop, _and _I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm -_

_"Link," _she gasped out as her orgasm crept up her center and ebbed throughout her body. She quivered in his grasp, curling in and cocooning herself with his body.

But he wasn't done yet.

His breath was heavy - his face pulled into a strained look though it was tucked into her neck - and she immediately thought back to her wish to repay his favor that night. She remembered another blurb of one of the books and removed one of her gloves with fumbling hands. She trembled when she brought it up to her mouth and licked her palm. The sight caused Link's dark eyes to widen and his cheeks to gain a little more red, and soon she was darting her hands between them and sliding beneath his waistband.

When she grabbed him, she didn't expect it to be so _warm. _But perhaps, just like her own, it grew warmer and warmer with arousal, just like the rest of the body. Link's body jerked when she wrapped her fingers around him - the shaft like hot steel wrapped in silk - and she followed the instructions of the book and stroked him up and down, pulling on him until he was biting on her shoulder and letting out a strangled shout into her shirt. Wetness suddenly coated her fingers and she knew it meant he had finished.

Quietly, they both settled down, limp in each others arms. Zelda wiped her fingers on the inside of his breeches and gently pulled her hand out. They continued to sit in silence, neither willing to break the spell, until Link placed a soft kiss to the skin beneath her ear.

That gesture had been so much more _intimate _than what they had just done, and the implications made her hot and fuzzy feeling all the way to her toes.

"After all of this is over," she whispered, causing him to pull away from her. Her courage was bolstered by their recent actions, so she met his eyes and smiled. "Once Ganon is defeated, once our duties are fulfilled, we can try this. You and me. I want to. For real."

His hand came up and he cupped her cheek, searching her eyes for something she could not fathom. His gaze was so deep, so intense, she couldn't help but sit and be hypnotized by him.

Link's lip pulled up into a half smile and he pulled his hand away with a slight shake of his head. "But first, sleep."

It wasn't _dismissive _or even a rejection, but there was something in his voice that wavered between sounding sad or regretful. But she couldn't argue or press the issue, not when tomorrow - or rather, _today_ \- was such an important day. Link helped her stand and she climbed into her sleeping mat without changing and he pulled the blanket up to her chin. He brushed her hair out of her face, still giving her that deep look, and Zelda quickly closed her eyes, filled with the thoughts of his smile lulling her into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_tbc_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N** This is absolutely it._

* * *

"You never kissed me."

Link looked up from the fire he was starting, over to where Zelda was sitting under the tree. Even now, when he was dressed in the undershirt he wore under his Champion's tunic, she could see the differences the battle a century ago had done to his body, as well as the numerous ones he had engaged in since waking up. The scars were a grim reminder of what had happened, but also of what he survived.

Her heart was a mess, beating erratically and _wanting, wanting, wanting _to prod at this _thing _that had been hanging in between them since he came to her in the Castle. It was almost all she could think about while in his proximity, making her nervous and worry that his lack of recollection of _some _events but knowing every detail of others would impact whatever this _thing _was.

After all, one of the last moments they shared together - aside from the end of the world and him _dying in her arms - _was them engaging in the _deviant frivolities _she swore she couldn't engage in. She felt awfully like a hypocrite, but there was no judgement to be lain upon her now that she was the sole authority in the entire kingdom.

She had once felt - through the first decade or so of her commune with Hylia - the events unfolding on her birthday were judgement enough, but long passed them off as an inevitable eventuality, not punishment for indulging in human desires.

"What?"

Zelda blinked and brought herself back to the man in front of her, face growing hot under his scrutiny. She moved the Sheikah Slate to her side and folded her hands in her lap as she remarked, "That night, before we went to Mount Lanayru... When we... _you know_."

His face twisted in confusion, causing her heart to sink. "I... _don't_ know."

She knew this would happen. Purah ensured her that the chances his ability to recall his life before the Shrine of Resurrection were slim to none after just ten years, let alone one hundred, so she _knew - she knew! - _that the night they spent together before going to Mount Lanayru would be something he would likely forget. But that didn't stop the ache of _loss _she felt as she clenched her hands together in her lap, trying not to show her dismay openly. "You don't?"

Link shook his head before he cast his gaze to the fire. "I remember the events around the pictures you left for me, and maybe some other, smaller things, but otherwise no. I don't recall what you're referring to. Why would I kiss you in the first place?"

That _hurt. _It was an innocent question - just like the others he asked when he needed clarification - but his outright _confusion _as to why he would in the first place just made reality crash around her. Those feelings that had been clear then likely didn't exist anymore. Zelda knew her face visibly fell and she looked to her lap, her tears already starting to gather in her eyes, and she heard Link bolt up to rush to her side.

"What is it?" he implored her, taking her face between his hands and wiping away the tears as best as he could. "What did I say?"

Zelda shook her head and took his hands between hers, her heart aching for this man. "It's not _you... _It's just... I thought that maybe since you remembered the _other_ things you would have at least remembered _that."_

"I'm not sure I follow," he slowly, his confusion still evident.

She kept her eyes on him for a long time. It had been a little less than a month since they defeated Ganon and sealed him away, and despite the fact they were spending almost every moment together since, she still felt like she couldn't get a good read on him. They had gone to Kakariko almost immediately - well, after Link tended to his wounds and made sure Zelda was fit to travel - and she was bombarded with the changes that had occurred in the century she spent in stasis with Ganon, most of all with him.

Link was a completely different person. Gone was the soft spoken, reserved knight that she was blessed to have by her side. Now, he was a feral thing, exaggerated in the small mannerisms and ticks that endeared her before. It wasn't _bad, _but she was having a hard time consolidating the two different aspects of the same man.

She often wondered if _this _Link, the one in front of her, would have been the Link she knew if his destiny as the Hero of Hyrule hadn't weighed him down so much.

His eyes, oh _his eyes, _kept gleaming at her with such open sincerity it made her ache. She still _loved _him, ever so dearly, and she knew he had loved her once, but had no idea of knowing if he did now. It was unlikely since he barely knew the life they had lived together before the world burned around them.

"Zelda?"

More tears fell and she held onto his wrists.

Here they were, in the middle of the Lanayru Great Spring on their way to Zora's Domain, and she was having an emotional breakdown. It was inevitable, after the time she spent in the grasp of evil, but he had _no _idea why. She felt like she couldn't even divulge her heartbreak because it would guilt him even more, knowing how much the last century of destruction was already weighing on his shoulders.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?"

_Oh, she still loved him so very much._

She shook her head and took his hands away from her face, then held them between hers in her lap. "No, it's hard to explain. I only wish that you had remembered _that, _and then I wouldn't feel so much like an idiot now."

His face pulled into something full of guilt - the exact opposite of what she wanted - and he attempted to pull away, but she held him tight. His eyes were on her, swimming with something she still couldn't place, and he sighed, "Would it be too much of a burden for you to recount what had happened? Why I wouldn't kiss you in a circumstance that you would expect me to?"

Zelda sighed and looked to their joined hands. His were calloused and scarred, the tan color contrasting with the paler shade that she had. More scars, more things he couldn't remember. More things she had a hard time explaining.

More things she just didn't have the heart to say. What if he rejected her, now with his new mind and new life? He came with her, after all, but that didn't mean squat in terms of romance. She had sworn they would pick up where they left off once Ganon was defeated, but she had no idea it would be one hundred years after the fact and one of them was basically an entirely new person.

Where he forgot, she remembered every moment. And it was almost too much to bear.

"It's silly -"

"It's not," he cut in, causing her to meet his gaze again. That fierceness that she knew was there, a jarring comfort, and he licked his lips. There was a long moment of him visibly gathering himself, and then he said, "I am sorry that I don't remember. There's a lot of things I forgot, but if you think that _knowing you _and... and _caring _for you was one of those things, you are mistaken."

She tried not to focus on what he was going to say instead of _caring _and she swallowed. "I don't want to presume - "

"I'd rather you presume than not indulge me in what our lives together were like before the Calamity," he insisted. His hand broke from hers and came to her face again, then his thumb ran against her cheek like he had done the first night by the Spring of Power. Her heart stuttered and he didn't take his eyes from her mouth. "If kissing you was something that was expected of me, I would be happy to oblige -"

"It wasn't _expected,_" she stammered and her face got hot under his intense scrutiny and words. His eyes came back to hers when she added, "It was... _desired. _But never expected. I didn't think we... could. I wanted to. The other... _things _we indulged in were much more... well, they were more inappropriate... Certainly I thought that I wouldn't have another opportunity to be with you, so I just cast all caution to the wind. But I intended on amending that once Ganon was defeated."

A wry smile spread on his lips. "You just didn't think it would take me so long to help you."

That sadness she felt in regards to him trickled down her chest almost to the point that it overpowered the racing of her heart, but she forced herself to smile despite it and reply, "You were worth waiting for."

Link kept staring at her, searching, and her mind went to the last night they spent together. She remembered the way his eyes almost glowed when he looked at her, how the reverence and adoration shone through when she held him close, how she didn't realize that was how he looked at her until she was recalling their lives together in an attempt to soothe her mind during her entanglement with Ganon.

She didn't know he loved her until it was too late, and the smidgen of hope that he still loved her now was starting to grow.

Even now, as she questioned what he sought, she could see it in the way his lips pulled up into a slight smile and he leaned in. When their lips met, everything that had been disjointed and unnerving started to settle into the proper place. She hadn't _expected _him to kiss her, but had wanted it nonetheless. Her earlier remark had just been an observation, a thought her heart _finally _decided to voice a century after the event. And now... _this_ kiss? It was everything she had hoped for, and then some. He wasn't exactly _certain _in the way he cupped her face between his hands or how he moved over her so he could kiss her harder, but it wasn't _bad _in any way shape or form. In fact, it made it more _real _than any imagined caress that she had conjured in her mind for the century she waited for him.

Zelda moved her hands to his chest, splaying them out over the scars painted onto the skin there, and Link inhaled sharply at her charged touch. He pressed his lips to hers a little harder before he broke away, his eyes still searching. Then, with the same mischievous grin he had on his face the night of her birthday, Link wrapped his arm around her waist and turned them over so he was sitting down and she was straddling his hips.

His fingers carded through her hair and he pressed a kiss to the skin under her ear. His breath was _hot _when he breathed out, "I think I much preferred you this way."

Before she could process the fact that _he's starting to remember _and voice her elation, Link was smirking and kissing her hard again, opening her mouth with his and deepening their contact. His hands roved over her body, holding, squeezing, caressing in such admiration that her head was spinning. He didn't leave any space between them and kept kissing her until she was breathless.

Despite the fact that they had done much more than _this, _the kisses Link gave her were more potent at making her swoon.

His fingers grazed the undersides of her breasts and she slowed their kiss until he pulled away. His fingers were idly rubbing her ribs, while hers twirled the ends of his hair, and their eyes met. There was something deep there, something she hadn't recognized before, but she saw it clearly now. While her desire for him in the past had been borderline taboo, this seemed nothing short of a natural progression. This was more their speed - in the wild with the fire dancing behind them - and Zelda wanted nothing more than to succumb to it.

She could easily say they had all the time in the world and should slow down, but one hundred years of yearning did not grant her foolproof wisdom.

Zelda breached the distance between them and kissed him again, this time with her fingers sliding under the collar of his shirt and touching his heated skin. Although he was in just his undershirt and trousers, Zelda was still wearing all of her traveling clothes. So she took her hands away from him briefly to untuck her shirts and start pulling them off. Link broke the kiss to help her, his hands sure and warm and impatient to the point that he fumbled with the belts that held her pack and the Sheikah Slate's holster. He tossed them to the side before helping her tug off her gloves and tossing them away, too.

As she swept her hair to the side and unbuttoned the back collar of her shirt, Link busied himself with touching the bare skin of her stomach. He had callouses that dragged against the smooth expanse of her torso, distracting enough to cause her fingers to slip with the button, but as soon as it was undone he was helping her tug her shirts over her head and toss it to the side. She was left in her brassiere and her pants, but no bashfulness swept over her. This was inevitable, _wanted, _and she would _not_ miss the chance to be with him like this ever again.

Link sucked in a serrated breath when she pulled his shirt off and pressed her bare skin to his, her hair falling in a golden curtain around them and protecting them from any potential prying eyes. She could _feel _his scars drag against her skin, but it was nothing compared to the maddening sensation of _him _underneath her. He held her close, with his biceps pressed to her waist and his forearms braced against her shoulder blades, and just _held_ her. His mouth was busy with her neck now while she clutched his shoulders and bore down on him - just as she had done back then.

He _growled _against her collarbone and nipped her sharply before his fingers began busying with her brassiere. He tugged around the band and loosened her breasts from the binding, then pulled it up and over her head before tossing it to the side with the rest of her clothes.

The fire was burning at her back, but his eyes burned even hotter. Just like when his fingers left flames in their wake on her skin, his eyes were bright as fire themselves as they stared at her. She felt no shame, no bashfulness that she was told to feel when a man looked at her body before she was wed. She was proud and _so in over her head _and wanted Link to just _move _so they could keep this going.

His knuckles grazed up her sides, brushing against the swell of her breast, and then as his thumbs reached the hardened peaks his eyes darted up to meet hers. He locked her in place as he cupped her breasts in his hands, then he kept his eyes locked on her as he leaned down and pulled the left nipple into his mouth.

Her whole body reacted - shivers of pleasure crawling from her breasts all the way down to her core and causing her to push herself more into him. She felt Link smirk against her skin and grazed his teeth against the sensitive flesh, causing her to do it again. His arms crushed her to his body and she bore down even more against the arousal she felt underneath her. He made a noise in the back of his throat and he cupped her rear, causing her to rub up against him even more, and she whimpered at the way it made her body convulse with the sudden shock of sensation.

Link was murmuring something against her skin when she came to, his hands now slipping beneath her pants and starting to tug them down her legs. She stood abruptly and shoved them down, baring herself entirely to him, and she gestured for him to do the same. There was no time for shyness, not when they lost a century of time together. He lifted his hips and pulled his pants down, as well, and he kicked them off with his boots. Seeing his erection made her salivate - _strange - _and she straddled him again. The warmth of his body hit her damp skin and she soaked it up, letting herself take in everything Link had to offer.

His hands were exploring again, feeling her exposed body and marking his territory. Her nails dug into his shoulders when the pads of his fingers finally rubbed against her womanhood - just as he had done the first time - and she _felt _her wetness drip onto his fingers and his exposed erection.

He was panting now, _wanting _it so _bad, _and she shifted herself so her opening was lined up with his head. Their eyes met, and with a silent agreement Zelda sank down as Link thrust up, and it was _heaven._

Zelda had felt serenity in her century with Hylia. She had known the Divine when it had touched her mind, had seen the world and every living form within it, but that was nothing compared to _this. _Despite what she had read and heard before the Calamity, it didn't _hurt, _per se. Instead, it was an uncomfortable fullness or stretch, like if she tried to touch the bottom of her feet when she wasn't flexible enough. But _this _was nothing like that. While it was something to get used to, the sensation rippled through her body and caused her toes to curl and her heart to race.

Not even touching herself compared to this.

She moved first, rocking her hips back and forth in that Gerudo motion that had driven Link wild a century ago, and it seemed to have the same effect now. His hands clutched at her hips while his mouth became preoccupied with kissing and licking and biting every inch of skin he could reach. He directed her speed with his hands, helping guide her in a motion that was smooth and even and mind-blowing in the way that it made him hit that _particular _spot that made her see stars.

They moved in tandem, back and worth like the sway of the tides, and soon was Link was moving her to speed up. As she rose and fell, she expanded and contracted around him and every time he hit her _deep _she cried out with an unbidden moan. They were all alone - the likeliness of someone being nearby slim to none - so her cries echoed out into the night sky. Link breathed heavily and the soft noises he let slip spurred her on even more. She met his eyes, those dark eyes that always were swirling with such intensity that it made _her _head spin, and now was no different.

It was building, deep within her belly with every thrust and grind. Her body quaked, as did the world around her, and just like the first time Link brought her to completion Zelda felt as if it slammed her right in the chest and the ripples spread through her entirely.

She let out a wordless cry, moaning as her body convulsed around him. Link followed shortly after - letting out a grunt that ended on a breathy moan on her neck. They stayed there, wrapped in each others arms, until Link's softened erection slipped out of her and the cool air of the night hit them both. Zelda leaned back first, meeting his eyes with a smile, while his face was so soft and _awed _that her heart sped with love.

He leaned forward, nuzzled his nose against her jaw and hummed out, "I love you."

Zelda's heart soared and she held him close. "I love you, too."

"Always have, always will," he replied in a quiet voice she almost lost.

"Always?" she couldn't stop herself from asking.

Link nodded and his hand started idly playing with the hair that curtained around them. "Always. May not have realized it, but I did. I do."

A breeze blew past, dislodging her hair, and she shivered when her skin was exposed to the night air. Link smiled up at her and grabbed his shirt from his side. He wrapped it around her shoulders, and after a soft kiss he started reaching for the other articles of clothing that had been discarded. "We ought to get to bed. The Zora's will be expecting us early."

"You can't expect me to sleep now," Zelda countered as they stood and started pulling their clothes back on.

When she started pulling her own blue blouse over her head, Link grabbed her elbows to stop her. His eyebrow arched and that mischievous grin he had the night of her birthday returned. "Who said we were going to be sleeping?"

A matching smirk pulled at her lips, and as she lowered her arms and took his hand, they all but ran to the tent and ducked inside. Once the flap was closed, Zelda knew _for sure _she was not going to be getting _any _sleep that night.

Not that she minded one bit.

* * *

_fin._


End file.
